Here are 5 takeaways from the weekly news conference for Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino; his team is 7-1 and ranked No. 5 in AP

Jody Demling

10/31/2016

Here are 5 takeaways from the weekly news conference for Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino. The Cardinals are 7-1 and will hit the road to play Boston College on Saturday at noon in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Here are 5 takeaways from the weekly news conference for Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino.

The Cardinals are 7-1 and will hit the road to play Boston College on Saturday at noon in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

1. Cards were sloppy all week: Petrino said it wasn't a shock that his team came out a little flat and didn't look the part on Saturday at Virginia. he said he had warned them all week they needed more intensity.

Petrino said Lamar Jackson had his "best week of practice, accuracy and completion percentage wise," but noted the rest of the offense didn't have the focus it needed in the days leading up to the game.

"And that's on me," Petrino said. "I have to do a better job of getting them prepared."

Petrino added: "It's a long season. We won't always be our best in games, but we have to do a better job this week in practice."

2. Offensive line has to improve: Petrino said the offensive line had been solid all season but they were off against the Cavaliers, giving up five sacks - which was the most on the season along with the five against Clemson.

Petrino said no changes are needed they "just need to focus."

"We have to do a better job," Petrino said.

The Cardinals also had a season-low 147 yards rushing in the 32-25 win over the Cavaliers.

3. More pressure on the QB: Louisville's only sack against Virginia came on the final play of the game when the Cavaliers were attempting a Hail Mary pass but but QB Kurt Benkert was caught in the backfield.

The Cardinals have just 4.5 sacks in the last five games.

"We have to be able to hit the quarterback," Petrino said. "We didn't hit him enough to be able to create turnovers.

"We have to do a better job of getting to the quarterback."

4. The drops early on were unacceptable: Petrino was not happy with the focus of the offense and was really upset about the dropped passes early in the game, noting the balls were not the easiest catches.

"In the famous words of my father," Petrino said. "Everything you touch, you should have."

5. Cards preparing for a tough road test: Louisville hits the road again this week and Petrino said he's preparing his team for another tough road contest against the Eagles.

Boston College just won their first ACC game of the season - over N.C. State - but is just two wins from bowl eligibility and they rank as the top defense in the ACC.

"We know these guys well," he said. "It's almost like N.C. State, we've seen the same guys for three years now."